A Faithful Homemaker: January 2020

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Quote on Faith and Suffering

I came across this quote today and thought I'd share:

"A faith that can be destroyed by suffering is not faith."

-Richard Wurmbrand

I often wonder about my own faith if something really, really bad were to happened. I've had my share of challenges, including a young child in the hospital undergoing open-heart surgery. At the time it seemed really bad, but my faith did not waver. I knew God would look after my little boy. I pray that I would never have to experience anything that could shake or destroy my faith, but I also pray that if it were to happen, that I'd have the strength to overcome and press forward.

"He Shall Hear My Voice" by C. Michael Dudash

Monday, January 20, 2020

Homemaker's Journal: Monday, January 20, 2020

Joining Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday.

THE WEATHER THIS WEEK...

Sunny and cold! The high for today is 38. It feels like winter has finally arrived here in the south. There will be a lot of sunshine until the end of the week when it is expected to rain again.

AROUND THE HOME...

Very messy. We were gone most of the weekend. We went to Raleigh on Saturday and were home only on Sunday morning before going to church and then the graveside service for my aunt. We didn't get home until dinner time. It's after noon now and I've tidied up the living room. The littlest one is asleep (as she typically is when I blog) and the older children are upstairs in their rooms.

AGENDA FOR TODAY...

My mom is off of work today so my parents came over earlier this morning to visit with the children. Our piano teacher is out of state visiting family so no lessons for today. My husband is at work even though it's a holiday for the rest of us. I'm working on cleaning up our school room that has been a disaster since before Christmas. I don't seem to get anywhere with it before its time to prepare a meal for the family or tend to the baby or do something else that needs to be done around the home. It doesn't help that we are continually homeschooling so new papers and projects keep creeping into the mess that is already in here. A big black trash bag is tempting.

Later this evening, I am hoping to catch up on Sanditon with my husband after the children go to bed. We don't watch a lot of television but we both love PBS Masterpiece shows.

A PEEK INTO MY DAY...

Chess game on the stair landing

A FAVORITE QUOTE FOR TODAY...

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

ON THE MENU...

I did not have time this weekend to sit down and plan our weekly menu, so I'll have to update later.

Monday: Baked Ziti and Italian Sausage
Tuesday: TBD

Wednesday: Macaroni & Cheese, Oven-Roasted Broccoli, Baked Beans

Thursday: TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: Vegetable Lo Mein, Tofu, Dumplings, Crispy Won Tons and Spring Rolls for Chinese New Year (Dessert: Nian Gao, Cupcakes)

Sunday: TBD

I AM READING...

I'm currently reading the third story in this book titled The Old Lace Shop.

PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK...

Goodness, I don't know! My day planner is expected to arrive this week. I procrastinated on ordering one and feel completely lost without it. I'm currently using a monthly calendar I printed off of the computer. I hate it.

My daughter has dance on Tuesday and Thursday, my older son has a church activity on Tuesday, and my daughter has a therapy appointment on Wednesday. We have homeschool work to catch up on as I took off most of last week because I had a cold. I'm also working on planning the baptism program for my older son. He's told me who he wants to speak and now all I need to do is contact them. I would have had him write a letter to ask them but I procrastinated on that too and now I just need to get the program done. I blame this on the lack of a day planner. I'm too much like my grandfather and need my days well thought out and planned or my life feels like one big mess.

LINKING UP WITH...

Thursday, January 16, 2020

An Introduction to Our Homeschool

One of my most asked questions when someone first gets to know me is about homeschooling. How we do it, why we do it, and what a typical day is like.

When we first started our family it had never been my intention to homeschool, but when my oldest was getting close to the age to start kindergarten, I realized I did not want to put this precious child’s education in the hands of someone else. I wanted to be the one responsible for the education for all of my children. I moved forward with teaching her at home and haven’t looked back. Our family has grown since those early years and we are still at it.

"Infant Teacher" by Albert Anker

1. My first child is now 10 years old. I started homeschooling her when she was of preschool age. We did little activities with letters of the alphabet and colorful counting bears. She’s very quiet natured and continues to want to stay home with me each year, so that is what we’ve done. She is a good reader and has been reading chapter books for the last few years. Right now she is working through the Little House series on her own after taking a break from reading Harry Potter. She takes piano, ballet and tap dancing lessons each week. Between those lessons and church activities, she is by far my busiest child.

2. My second child will be turning 8 at the end of the month. He has dyslexia and I am still in the process of learning how best to teach him. He loves being read to and is a great learner in every other aspect of his education. He takes piano lessons each week and can play by ear but does surprisingly well reading notes in spite of having reading difficulties. He’s also a post-open heart surgery baby but today is as healthy as can be. He’s limited on what sports he can play, so he chose baseball and loves it. He plays in the competitive spring season and this last fall he completed his first skills development season.

3. My third child is 5 years old and has been part of our homeschool from the beginning. He was very insistent at a young age that he do what his older siblings were doing. He’s half way through our 1st grade math curriculum and taught himself how to read at an early age. He’s a bright kid and sometimes it can be a struggle to keep up with him. He started taking piano lessons last year and is following in his brothers footsteps by playing baseball.

4. My fourth child is 3 months old. She’s what some would call an easy baby. She eats well, sleeps well, and has a calm and happy personality. It is too early to tell what part she will play in our homeschool but the children are all eager to teach her everything she will need to learn.

I hope to be able to share some of our experiences and things I have learned over the years as we've been on this journey. Our family is just an ordinary family and I do not claim to be an expert on the subject but I hope you will enjoy hearing our stories and learning along with us.

I hope you come back again soon for a visit!

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Searching for the Calm

Winter was short-lived, though I honestly don't remember much of it. The seasons go by fast when the weather doesn't know what to do with itself.

I have four children at home with me and our house is always buzzing with activity. I have a dancer leaping around downstairs like a pixie. My boys are in a stage in life in which everything is a battle. They battle army men, knights and dragons, and if they're tired of battling their toys, they battle each other. I have a sweet little one that still does a lot of sleeping.

I love this stage in my life, but I sometimes wish it didn't feel so busy. I want to be able to sit down somewhere and stare out the window or read a book. I want to go on a walk and enjoy nature. The outdoors brings calm to my life and to the children.

I was able to have a few brief moments alone outside this morning. Because it has been so warm, life is coming back to the garden. The parsley I had planted with the tomatoes last year never died. In fact, it's growing better than it did all spring and summer. I have dill, cilantro, and even lettuce miraculously sprouting up in the garden beds in places where the seeds must have scattered (weeds are popping up everywhere as well). One of our peach trees are beginning to blossom and I also noticed tiny buds on our apple tree.

I know the weather will get cold again but I love seeing the new growth. I anxiously wait for the days of spring and summer in which I can be outside again with my hands in the soil.

Monday, January 13, 2020